ICYMI: Infant Deaths Shed Light on Bed-Sharing Dangers

Cuddling with an infant is an important part of bonding, but there are limits that are important to heed.

“Bed-sharing may put your baby at risk for sudden infant death syndrome and other dangers during sleep, like suffocation,” the March of Dimes warns on its website.

Pasco County deputies are also warning of the dangers following two recent deaths involving infants who were sleeping in bed-sharing situations. While both deaths remain under investigation, pending final reports from the Medical Examiner’s Office, both are believed to be accidents tied to the practice of bed-sharing, agency spokesman Eddie Daniels Jr. confirmed.

The first death under investigation occurred on Nov. 11 in Port Richey. A one-month-old baby boy died in that incident. The second case followed only a few days later on Nov. 14. In that case, a 3-month-old Lacoochee boy was found dead.

Since both cases remain under investigation, the agency isn’t releasing many details. Patch is not releasing the infants’ names or those of their parents at this time.

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Bed-sharing is linked to an estimated 74 percent of deaths in babies under the age of 4 months, according to Today.com.

The dangers of the practice, which is defined as physically sharing a bed with a baby, include the potential for the baby to become trapped, fall off the bed, be suffocated or get rolled on top of by an adult sleeper, the March of Dimes warns.

“The best place for your baby to sleep is in her bassinet or crib placed close to your bed,” the organization says.

It is unclear how soon the Pasco investigations will be concluded.

For more information on bed-sharing and co-sleeping, visit the March of Dimes online.

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